diff --git a/cli/src/index.ts b/cli/src/index.ts
index b9d4b6dd..a79a8f64 100644
--- a/cli/src/index.ts
+++ b/cli/src/index.ts
@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@ import { generateCommand } from "./commands/generate";
 import { statusCommand } from "./commands/status";
 import { whereCommand } from "./commands/where";
 import { upgradeCommand } from "./commands/upgrade";
+import { ensureGlobalBinOnPath } from "./utils/pathSetup";
 import {
   currentVersion,
   isCacheStale,
@@ -89,6 +90,8 @@ export function runMain(): void {
     process.exit(0);
   }
 
+  ensureGlobalBinOnPath();
+
   if (!updatesDisabled()) scheduleBackgroundCheck();
 
   if (!updatesDisabled() && !skipNoticeForCommand()) {
diff --git a/cli/src/utils/pathSetup.ts b/cli/src/utils/pathSetup.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..4254d307
--- /dev/null
+++ b/cli/src/utils/pathSetup.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,81 @@
+import { appendFileSync, existsSync, readFileSync } from "node:fs";
+import { homedir, platform } from "node:os";
+import { dirname, join, resolve } from "node:path";
+import { consola } from "consola";
+
+const MARKER = "# Added by ranch CLI to keep bun's global bin dir on PATH";
+const NEEDLE = ".bun/bin";
+
+function shellRcCandidates(): string[] {
+  if (platform() === "win32") return [];
+  const shell = process.env.SHELL || "";
+  const home = homedir();
+  // Login-shell file first: that's what new Terminal/IDE tabs actually
+  // source on macOS, which is the file we want to end up writing to.
+  if (shell.includes("zsh")) {
+    return [join(home, ".zprofile"), join(home, ".zshrc")];
+  }
+  if (shell.includes("bash")) {
+    return [join(home, ".bash_profile"), join(home, ".bashrc"), join(home, ".profile")];
+  }
+  // Unknown shell (fish, etc.) — don't guess at foreign syntax.
+  return [];
+}
+
+function isBunGlobalBin(dir: string): boolean {
+  return /[/\\]\.bun[/\\]bin$/.test(dir);
+}
+
+/**
+ * `bun add -g @cleanslice/ranch` always installs into ~/.bun/bin, regardless
+ * of how `bun` itself got onto this machine. But ~/.bun/bin only gets added
+ * to PATH by bun's own official installer script (`curl bun.sh/install`) —
+ * Homebrew's bun formula does not do this. Result: anyone with a
+ * Homebrew-installed bun who follows the README's `bun add -g` quick start
+ * gets `ranch` (and `bun`'s other global installs) working in the terminal
+ * they installed from, then silently missing from every *new* terminal/IDE
+ * tab, with no clue why.
+ *
+ * Since we can't fix bun's installer, self-heal here instead: the first time
+ * `ranch` runs successfully, check whether the directory it was actually
+ * launched from is durably persisted in the user's shell startup file, and
+ * append it if not. Best-effort and silent on any failure — must never break
+ * an actual command.
+ */
+export function ensureGlobalBinOnPath(): void {
+  if (process.env.CI) return;
+  try {
+    const entry = process.argv[1];
+    if (!entry) return;
+    const binDir = resolve(dirname(entry));
+    if (!isBunGlobalBin(binDir)) return;
+
+    const candidates = shellRcCandidates();
+    if (candidates.length === 0) return;
+
+    const alreadyPersisted = candidates.some((file) => {
+      if (!existsSync(file)) return false;
+      try {
+        return readFileSync(file, "utf8").includes(NEEDLE);
+      } catch {
+        return false;
+      }
+    });
+    if (alreadyPersisted) return;
+
+    const target = candidates.find((file) => existsSync(file)) ?? candidates[0];
+    const block = `\n${MARKER}\nexport BUN_INSTALL="$HOME/.bun"\nexport PATH="$BUN_INSTALL/bin:$PATH"\n`;
+    appendFileSync(target, block);
+
+    consola.box(
+      `Fixed: added ${binDir} to PATH via ${target}\n\n` +
+        `bun's global installs (including this \`ranch\` CLI) live in ~/.bun/bin,\n` +
+        `which is only auto-added to PATH by bun's own installer script — not by\n` +
+        `Homebrew's bun. Without this, \`ranch\` and \`bun\` would keep vanishing\n` +
+        `every time you open a new terminal.\n\n` +
+        `Open a new terminal (or run \`source ${target}\`) to pick it up everywhere.`,
+    );
+  } catch {
+    // best-effort — never let PATH bookkeeping break an actual command
+  }
+}